Ventral process on the neurocranium for the articulation of upper pharyngeal bones. It is variably composed of the parasphenoid, basioccipital, and prootic depending on the species. From: Greenwood, PH (1978). A review of the pharyngeal hypophysis and its significance in the classification of African cichlid fishes. Bull. Br. Mus. Nat. Hist. (Zool.) 33: 297-323. [ ]